Red Velvet Cheesecake slice, and a Red Velvet Cheesecake slice with the entire cheesecake in the background

Why choose between red velvet cake and cheesecake when you can have both!

This Red Velvet Cheesecake recipe combines a shortcut red velvet base with an easy no bake cheesecake topping for a delicious dessert that anyone can master! 

Best of all, this cake is made ahead of time and chilled for the perfect special occasion dessert.

plated Easy Red Velvet Cheesecake with a bite taken out

A Favorite Dessert Mashup

  • While we love red velvet cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory, this homemade version is extra simple to make for a fraction of the price.
  • Using a box of red velvet cake mix makes the base layer extra fast to prepare.
  • The no-bake cheesecake is rich, smooth, and fluffy (and it’s perfect every time).

ingredients with labels to make Easy Red Velvet Cheesecake

Ingredients in Red Velvet Cheesecake

RED VELVET CAKE MIX The base of this cake is made from a box of red velvet cake but be sure not to follow the directions on the box. We add ingredients to make them a more “brownie-like” texture.

CHEESECAKE This layer of the cake is a version of our no-bake cheesecake recipe.  A combination of cream cheese, vanilla extract, heavy cream, and powdered sugar. Just mix, layer, and chill. So simple!

Bake this in a 10-inch sprinform pan. If your pan is a 9-inch pan, you’ll need to add a few minutes of extra baking time since it will be slightly thicker.

process of adding ingredients together to make Easy Red Velvet Cheesecake

How to Make Red Velvet Cheesecake

This is the perfect dessert to make for a special celebration or a potluck!

  1. Combine the red velvet ingredients per the recipe below. Do not use the box measurements. Bake and cool.
  2. Once the base is cooled, prepare the cheesecake mixture.
  3. Spread cheesecake mixture over red velvet cake. Refrigerate.

Recipe Tip We use a large spatula to press the edges of the red velvet cake to make it as flat and even as possible.

Easy Red Velvet Cheesecake with a slice taken out

Tips for Recipe Perfection

  • Be sure to follow the recipe below and do not follow the instructions on the back of the cake mix box!
  • Ensure egg and cream cheese are room temperature for best results.
  • Ensure that the cake layer is completely cooled or it will melt the cheesecake layer.
  • If you don’t have a springform pan, line a 9″ pan with parchment paper so it is easy to remove the cake and cut.
  • Be sure to refrigerate at least 4 hours. This cake freezes well and can be made ahead of time.

Storing Leftover Cheesecake

Leftover cheesecake will keep in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

This cake also freezes well and can be frozen whole or individually. Cut into slices and freeze individually in an airtight container.

Celebrate with Cheesecake!

Did you make this Red Velvet Cheesecake? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below! 

plated Easy Red Velvet Cheesecake with a bite taken out
4.92 from 57 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
Or to leave a comment, click here!

Easy Red Velvet Cheesecake

This simple recipe combines Red Velvet cake and cheesecake for an impressive looking dessert that is super easy to make! A simple Red Velvet cake layer is topped with a deliciously quick and rich no bake cheesecake layer!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Servings 12

Ingredients  

Red Velvet Cake

  • 1 box red velvet cake mix 15.25 oz
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • cup milk

No Bake Cheesecake

  • 12 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 ½ cups heavy cream

Optional

  • whipped cream & raspberries for decorating

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 10" springform pan.
  • Combine dry cake mix, egg, oil and milk. Mix on medium 2 minutes or until smooth.
  • Spread into prepared pan and bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake. If needed gently press the edges with a spatula to even and flatten out the cake. Cool completely.
  • Beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until fluffy. Add in heavy cream and continue beating until thick and creamy and stiff peaks form.
  • Run a butter knife around the edges of the red velvet cake to loosen it. Spread cheesecake mixture over the cooled red velvet cake. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
  • Decorate as desired.

Notes

  • Be sure to follow the recipe below and do not follow the instructions on the back of the cake mix box!
  • Ensure that the cake layer is completely cooled or it will melt the cheesecake layer.
  • If you don’t have a springform pan, line a 9″ pan with parchment paper so it is easy to remove the cake and cut.
  • Once the cake layer is baked, gently press the edges with a spatula to even and flatten out the cake.
  • Be sure to refrigerate at least 4 hours. This cake freezes well and can be made ahead of time.
4.92 from 57 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 499 | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 408mg | Potassium: 195mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 851IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Like our recipes?
Follow us on Pinterest!

Follow us on Pinterest

close up of Easy Red Velvet Cheesecake with a bite taken out and a title
close up of Easy Red Velvet Cheesecake with a title
close up of plated Easy Red Velvet Cheesecake with a bite taken out and writing
Easy Red Velvet Cheesecake and slice on a plate with writing

Categories:

,

Recipes you'll love

About the author

Holly is a wine and cheese lover, recipe creator, shopping enthusiast and self appointed foodie. Her greatest passion is creating in the kitchen and making deliciously comforting recipes for the everyday home cook!
See more posts by Holly

Follow Holly on social media:

pinterest facebook twitter instagram

Free eBook!

Subscribe to receive weekly recipes and get a FREE Bonus e-book: Quick & Easy Weeknight Meals!

You can unsubscribe anytime by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of emails you receive.

latest & greatest

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. made this for a bday but never got to eat it bc cheesecake is still not set and it’s 15 hours later.
    I recommend beating the heavy whipping cream in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form. use another bowl to mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla till smooth then gently fold into the stiff cream but don’t over fold and break it back down. I found doing exactly as the directions said that my mixture did not get stiff. wS still pretty liquidy when pouring into the cake mix. I’m going to leave it continue to set till dinner time tonight and hope for the best. thanks for this recipe ♡ I Make my loved ones bfay cake requests and this one was a first for me. I should have tried to fix the liquid cheesecake mix before pouring onto the cake. but I think for next time I’ll change the order I make the ingredients in to be sure it’s a stiff so it sets better♡ I did like the brownie consistency. if it’s too dry – it’s bc you over baked. the mix doesn’t look done at 20 mins but as it cools it will set in the pan. anything over 23 mins and it will be far to dry by the time it cools. hope that helps♡

    1. Oh no Brittney, how disappointing. I’m so sorry your cheesecake didn’t set up, I didn’t have the same problem. The method you mentioned above is a great alternative. If you still have trouble getting it to set, you could put it into the freezer and serve it frozen as an ice cream cake. I hope that helps!

  2. easy to make, very hard to get mix into pan from bowl, very thick, a whole lot thicker mix than brownie batter consistency. maybe possible to thin it a little?

  3. My husband and I are going to have to agree that this cake is a bit dry. It’s a very heavy cake also. So if I decide to make it again I will try it by following the directions on the box (for the cake part) instead. Otherwise it was easy to make. My cheesecake part did not thicken up a lot nor did it get hard peaks, but for the most part it did set ok.3 stars

    1. The cake is intended to be the texture of brownies, a bit thicker and chewy (rather than fluffy). If you follow the directions on the box, the mix will likely be too large for the pan.

    1. Hi Helen, we have not tried this recipe in individual spring form pans but would love to hear how it turns out for you!

  4. Used exact ingredients. The velvet cake was so dense thought beating it was going to blow up my mixer. I stopped and hand mixed.4 stars

  5. I love this recipe. I made for my daughter’s birthday and it was a huge success.5 stars

    1. Hi Carol, you can try baking it in a smaller pan you will want to pay attention to cook time as it will be a thicker cake. Also be careful about overfilling your pan, so it doesn’t overflow when baking.

    1. I have only tried this recipe as written, but if you use mascarpone I would suggest to use 1/2 cream cheese and 1/2 mascarpone. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!

  6. After reading some of the comments about the cake part being dry, I was wondering if maybe using buttermilk instead of plain milk would help? Or maybe adding a little more oil?

    1. While I haven’t found the cake to be dry Julie, these are great suggestions for others to try. Thank you for sharing your ideas.

  7. We made this cake for a family get together. Our family really enjoyed the cake but the actual red velvet layer was a little dry for our taste. Also, we left the cake in the fridge to chill over night but the cheesecake layer never solidified so it turned out more like a cream cheese icing. The flavor was okay just not our favorite.

  8. So silly question how do you add the cheese cake mixture to your red velvet cake? Do you have an extra tall cake pan? I wasn’t thinking when I baked the cake and now I’m unsure how I’m going to put the cheese cake mix on top since my cake mix is to the brim. I don’t think it will transfer if I put in a different pan and let it set up separate.

    1. If your pan is too shallow and the cake is to the top, you could try adding some parchment paper and foil paper around the cake to make it taller to add the cheesecake top?

  9. Recipe was great! However, the cake part was very dense and did not rise much. How can I make cake less dense but firm enough to hold cheesecake part of the cake? 

    1. The cake part is intended to be a bit dense, almost like a brownie. This allows it to hold the cheesecake layer.